WhenToBird

Pandion haliaetus · Pandionidae

When Do Ospreys Arrive in Tennessee?

Adult female Osprey
Photo: Bill Levine, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Ospreys reach Tennessee in late February, are common by early March, peak in the second week of August (13% of checklists), and most are gone by late September.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 22-28late February
Common byMar 1-7early March
PeakAug 8-14the second week of August
Most gone bySep 22-30late September

Best: the second week of August. First arrivals late February; most are gone by late September. Peak: on about 13% of Tennessee checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decrare

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 0.2% of 16696 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.2% of 13056 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.2% of 13646 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.3% of 18071 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.3% of 13342 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.3% of 14316 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.5% of 20395 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.0% of 13129 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.9% of 12701 checklistsMar 8-14: 8.9% of 12789 checklistsMar 15-21: 12% of 13599 checklistsMar 22-31: 12% of 20293 checklistsApr 1-7: 11% of 15779 checklistsApr 8-14: 11% of 16646 checklistsApr 15-21: 9.4% of 18625 checklistsApr 22-30: 9.4% of 26689 checklistsMay 1-7: 8.5% of 21054 checklistsMay 8-14: 8.5% of 19954 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.5% of 14494 checklistsMay 22-31: 8.5% of 17790 checklistsJun 1-7: 7.9% of 11344 checklistsJun 8-14: 8.2% of 11049 checklistsJun 15-21: 9.0% of 9625 checklistsJun 22-30: 9.1% of 11522 checklistsJul 1-7: 11% of 9208 checklistsJul 8-14: 11% of 8814 checklistsJul 15-21: 12% of 8887 checklistsJul 22-31: 13% of 12739 checklistsAug 1-7: 13% of 9632 checklistsAug 8-14: 14% of 9514 checklistsAug 15-21: 14% of 9619 checklistsAug 22-31: 12% of 14227 checklistsSep 1-7: 8.8% of 11988 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.3% of 11660 checklistsSep 15-21: 5.0% of 11774 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.2% of 15658 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.7% of 12641 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.0% of 12389 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.2% of 10249 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.6% of 14085 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.0% of 10700 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.8% of 10709 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.8% of 9955 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.7% of 13423 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.6% of 10106 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.5% of 10478 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.3% of 12177 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.3% of 17397 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Tennessee that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Tennessee

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Houston CountyBest early April · 24 checklists that week, 1,234 in all84%
  2. Humphreys CountyBest the second week of August · 139 checklists that week, 5,858 in all67%
  3. Cocke CountyBest mid August · 83 checklists that week, 2,051 in all65%
  4. Meigs CountyBest late March · 64 checklists that week, 4,866 in all61%
  5. Roane CountyBest mid March · 115 checklists that week, 6,746 in all57%
  6. Benton CountyBest late March · 43 checklists that week, 2,202 in all52%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Oak Ridge Wildlife Management AreaRoane County, best the second week of April · 27 checklists that week, 1,050 in all99%
  2. Concord Park (Turkey Creek Shoals)Knox County, best mid August · 22 checklists that week, 620 in all97%
  3. Tennessee National Wildlife RefugeHumphreys County, best early July · 20 checklists that week, 779 in all97%
  4. Chickamauga Boat HarborHamilton County, best the second week of August · 32 checklists that week, 1,918 in all96%
  5. Louisville Point ParkBlount County, best early April · 20 checklists that week, 1,719 in all93%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Tennessee, the Osprey is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (7.1% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (224) to judge1 am: too few checklists (253) to judge2 am: too few checklists (245) to judge3 am: too few checklists (267) to judge4 am: too few checklists (582) to judge5 am: too few checklists (5688) to judge6 am: 6.4% of 36828 checklists7 am: 5.0% of 72816 checklists8 am: 5.8% of 76910 checklists9 am: 5.9% of 69071 checklists10 am: 6.1% of 60943 checklists11 am: 7.0% of 52311 checklists12 pm: 6.5% of 46524 checklists1 pm: 5.4% of 41133 checklists2 pm: 5.7% of 40305 checklists3 pm: 5.8% of 41013 checklists4 pm: 6.1% of 40029 checklists5 pm: 7.0% of 29775 checklists6 pm: 7.3% of 20977 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (12529) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4456) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1056) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (445) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (252) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January0.2%0.2%0.2%0.3%
February0.3%0.3%0.5%2.0%
March4.9%8.9%12%12%
April11%11%9.4%9.4%
May8.5%8.5%8.5%8.5%
June7.9%8.2%9.0%9.1%
July11%11%12%13%
August13%14%14%12%
September8.8%6.3%5.0%5.2%
October3.7%3.0%2.2%1.6%
November1.0%0.8%0.8%0.7%
December0.6%0.5%0.3%0.3%

Neighboring states

  • Kentucky: arrives the second week of March, 2 weeks later than Tennessee
  • Georgia: year-round, peaks mid March
  • Alabama: arrives early March, 1 week later than Tennessee
  • Indiana: arrives mid March, 3 weeks later than Tennessee

Common questions

When do Ospreys arrive in Tennessee?
Ospreys reach Tennessee in late February, are common by early March, peak in the second week of August (13% of checklists), and most are gone by late September.
When do Ospreys leave Tennessee?
Most Ospreys have left Tennessee by late September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early November.
When is the best time to see a Osprey in Tennessee?
The Osprey is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 13% of Tennessee checklists.
Where in Tennessee are Ospreys seen most often?
By county, Houston County, Humphreys County, and Cocke County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Osprey (counties with at least 200 checklists).